With both teams highly ranked, Gonzaga’s No. 1 in ‘combined’ poll

The Gonzaga men’s and women’s basketball teams are tops in the country in terms of their combined ranking in their respective AP polls.

Gonzaga’s men (16-2) are No. 5 while the women (16-1) are a program-record No. 13.

Tennessee was in the top spot last week with the men at No. 3 and the women at No. 13, but the Lady Vols slipped into a tie for 20th after an 0-2 week.

This is the highest combined ranking for the Gonzaga men and women. Gonzaga and Marquette are the only schools with both teams in the top 15.

It’s fairly common for schools to have both programs in the Top 25. Gonzaga, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, Maryland, Marquette, Kentucky, Michigan State, Tennessee, Iowa and Indiana currently have ranked programs in both polls.

In the preseason polls, Oregon (women No. 3, men No. 14) and Tennessee (women No. 11, men No. 6) led the way. Oregon’s women are currently No. 5, but the men dropped out of the rankings in Week 5.

Gonzaga was one of 20 schools to have its men’s and women’s teams reach the NCAA Tournament last season.

Connecticut is the gold standard for combined men’s and women’s basketball success. UConn is the only Division I program to crown two national champions in the same season, and they’ve done it twice (2004 and 2014).

The Huskies have had both teams reach the Final Four in the same year four times (2014, 2011, 2009, 2004).

Nine schools have accomplished the feat once, most recently South Carolina in 2017 and Syracuse in 2016. They’re joined by Louisville (2013), LSU (2006), Michigan State (2005), Texas (2003), Oklahoma (2002), Duke (1999) and Georgia (1983).